(1) Field of the Invention
This invention is concerned with a shoe upper conforming machine for use in lasting side portions of shoe uppers. The term "shoe" where used herein is used generically as indicating articles of outer footwear generally, including such articles in the course of manufacture.
(2) Prior Art
Shoe upper conforming machines for use in lasting side portions of shoe uppers are known comprising a support for a shoe last on which an upper, the side portions of which are to be lasted, and an insole are positioned, and two side lasting assemblies arranged so as to act on opposite side portions of an upper positioned on a last supported by said support. Each side lasting assembly comprises clamping means, comprising at least one clamp member, movable towards the last support to cause a side portion of the upper to be held against the last, on which it is positioned and which is supported by the last support, at a locality spaced from the feather line thereof, lasting element means, comprising a plurality of lasting elements arranged side-by-side and movable inwardly towards the last support so as to cause lasting marginal portions of the side portion of the upper to be wiped over corresponding marginal portions of the insole and be pressed thereagainst, and lasting band means comprising at least one upper-engaging band portion of flexible sheet material arranged to be interposed between the shoe upper on the one hand and the lasting elements and the clamp member(s) on the other.
One such machine is described in U.K. Patent Application No. 76.28027, in which machine each side lasting assembly comprises a single lasting band which is supported at its upper and lower edges, the arrangement being such that, as the lasting band is moved inwardly towards the last support, a portion thereof intermediate its upper and lower edges first engages the upper in the waist region, continued movement thereafter causing the upper to be deformed in the direction of both the top line and the feather line. The inward movement of each assembly, furthermore, is limited by a presser pad between which the upper and the lasting band is interposed, which pad also assists in holding the upper in position against the last during the lasting operation. When the inward movement of each lasting band is arrested, the lasting marginal portions of the upper, which are already partially folded over the feather line by the action of the inward movement of the lasting band, is merely rolled over and pressed against corresponding marginal portions of the insole by presser feet, which also serve to support one edge of the lasting band.
It will thus be appreciated that, in the operation of this machine, no significant drafting of the upper, in the waist portion thereof, takes place but rather the upper is deformed to the shape of the last by the progressive application of pressure thereto from an intermediate point outwardly towards the top line and feather line. Furthermore, the action of the presser feet is merely to roll the lasting marginal portion of the upper over the insole edge without any inward wiping action being applied thereto.
In U.S. Pat. No. 1,722,499 there is described a machine having side lasting assemblies, each of which comprises a plurality of lasting devices, each device in turn comprising a lasting element in the form of a wiping finger, a strap of flexible material one end of which is secured to the wiping finger, and the other end also being secured to a portion of the assembly, and a clamp pad between which the upper and the strap are interposed. In the operation of this machine, each device operates independently of the others, the arrangement being such that each assembly is moved bodily towards the shoe and the presser pads are brought into pressing engagement with the band against the upper, thus to clamp the upper against the last at a locality closely adjacent the feather line. Thereafter, the pressure applied by the pads is increased as the wipers move inwardly to wipe lasting marginal portions of the upper against corresponding marginal portions of the insole and press them thereagainst. Thereafter, the wiping fingers are cammed down from an out-of-the-way position to lay the lasting marginal portions of the insole and press them thereagainst.
A further modification of this machine is described in U.S. Pat. No. 1,843,232. In this machine, the straps are secured to the clamp members at one end and are resiliently connected at the other to the wiping fingers, the arrangement being such that the wiping fingers effect an in-wiping action effectively on the strap rather than on the upper, the resilient connection yielding during such in-wiping movement so that the wiping fingers move relative to their associated straps. The overall effect of this arrangement is that the lasting marginal portions of the upper are again merely laid over corresponding marginal portions of the insole and pressed thereagainst.
In French Patent Specification No. 1,396,694 are described two lasting machines, in a first of which two side lasting assemblies are provided, each comprising a plurality of lasting bands which are pressed against the upper by clamp members in the form of fingers, the bands being capable of limited movement heightwise of the last thus to provide an updraft on the upper prior to lasting marginal portions thereof being folded over the insole edge and pressed against corresponding marginal portions of the insole. In this machine, however, no separate lasting elements are provided, the bands serving the function of both updrafting and overlaying members. Again, in French Specification No. 71.14812, a machine is described having two side lasting assemblies, each comprising a plurality of lasting elements and a plurality of bands, but in this case no clamping pads are provided, the upper merely being engaged by the bands which are drawn over insole edge, together with lasting marginal portions of the upper, during the in-wiping movement of the lasting elements.
In the side lasting of shoes, problems arise where the inside of the last, at the waist region, is significantly inclined or rounded, so that it is difficult to ensure that the material of the upper, which is relatively bulky, is properly bedded down to the last before the lasting marginal portions of the upper are secured to corresponding marginal portions of the insole. Thus, it is not always sufficient merely to rely on the in-wiping action of wiping fingers to ensure that the upper is properly bedded to the last, nor is it necessarily sufficient merely to press the upper against the last without any drafting force being first applied. On the other hand, the use of wiping fingers or similar lasting elements is advantageous in ensuring a sharp feather on the finished shoe and also an adequate bedding down of the lasting marginal portions on to corresponding marginal portions of the insole, so that the mere application of an updrafting force does not in itself necessarily provide a good result in the finished shoe. Furthermore, it is desirable that clamp pads be provided so that a controlled drafting force can be applied to the upper, thus ensuring that any displacement of the upper does not lead to its being badly positioned on the last prior to the waist lasting operation.
It is thus the object of the present invention to provide a side lasting machine in which the upper is properly conformed to the last, regardless of the shape of the latter in the waist region, by the application of a controlled drafting force, and also in the operation of which lasting marginal portions of the upper are wiped over corresponding marginal portions of the insole and pressed thereagainst using conventional lasting elements.